Love Serenade 1996

Stan Getz - East Of The Sun: The West Coast Sessions 1955-1957 (1996) {3CD Set Verve 314 531 935-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 725 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 500 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 41 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1955-57, 1996 Verve / PolyGram | 314 531 935-2
Jazz / Cool / Bop / West Coast Jazz / Saxophone

The mainstream came to know this remarkable tenor sax player via bossa nova – his unforgettable, breathy solo on "The Girl from Ipanema" propelled the song to number five in 1964 and to continued popularity to this very day, every bit as much as Astrud Gilberto's equally stunning, spare voice. But Stan Getz's involvement in this populist '60s craze actually displeased many a serious jazz enthusiast who'd admired his work in that field for more than two decades. After all, this 17-time winner of the Down Beat poll for top tenor saxophonist had already staked out a remarkable reputation, playing in the bands of such vaunted names as Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Woody Herman from 1944-1949, and then leading his own bands thereafter. This three-CD box, then, finds Getz in top form as a jazz soloist and bandleader.

This disc reissues Dianne Reeves' entire 1982 LP Welcome to My Love, plus three tracks from 1985's For Every Heart and one selection from her days as a vocalist with the band Caldera. It contains the first recorded version of her classic "Better Days" and one of the best renditions of the overworked standard "My Funny Valentine" as you're likely to hear. On Welcome, Reeves was exploring the jazz/R&B territory she would claim as her own a decade later. "For Every Heart" was much more commercial, but the three cuts chosen here are worthwhile, especially a duet with Jon Lucien, "Separate Vacations."

This 10CD Box set was released posthumously and actually includes recordings from Ellington's private collection. They are mainly studio recordings which he produced at his own expense, but two volumes cover a couple of dance dates at military bases in California. The whole set is essential as it includes some compositions which are not recorded elsewhere (such as The Degas Suite and The River) and generally excellent performances.